


A whole new world

by CelestineKlein



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: M/M, More tags will be added as story progesses, Slow Burn, Sylvain as Dimitris wingman, alternative universe, no beta we die like Glenn, people from the game will appear in the story but might play a different role than in canon
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-17
Updated: 2020-05-02
Packaged: 2021-03-02 02:27:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 11,636
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23617486
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CelestineKlein/pseuds/CelestineKlein
Summary: There was a boy draped over a tree trunk that had fallen over the river. He didn't look conscious as his upper body was hanging over the trunk and his head was hanging headfirst just a few centimeters over the water. The tips of his blonde hair were touching the surface.Felix had two options. Just go away and hope someone else will find this person in time or carry that guy back to the hut and see if he can help him.--AU in which Dimitri is still the prince of Faerghus but Felix grew up poor, living in a small hut in the forest next to the capital city with his two companions Annette and Mercedes.A chance encounter made their paths cross and open a new perspective on the world for both of them.
Relationships: Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd/Felix Hugo Fraldarius
Comments: 8
Kudos: 44





	1. Red strings in the river

Felix lived a simple life. Going hunting in the morning till noon and hoping he'll get lucky enough to catch some wild animals he can either sell in the city or bring home as dinner. If no animal comes across his path, he would resort to fishing in a nearby river. The afternoon is reserved for strolling the city of Faerghus. Either selling whatever he caught -he knew some nobles that loved meat for some dish of wild game and who would pay a pretty penny for it- or trying to find an easy job he could take over and earn some coins.   
In the evening he would return to the hut in the forest- hopefully with something edible- and try to clean himself up at the riverside while praying that neither Mercedes or Annette burn down their rundown but trusty wood hut when they cook whatever Felix brought home and the vegetables they had grown outside.

  
Well that would be a nearly ideal day.

But since living in Faerghus meant many cold and frosty winter months, that drove the animals away from their lands and crops unable to bloom for the majority of the year, they would cuddle together in the evening, with empty stomachs and hope that the next day would bring some beam of sunlight that would warm up their frozen bodies.

  
Yes, Faerghus was a harsh place during the colder months. People in the city got grumpy from the cold and everyone was struggling on their own to save enough food for their own families.  
Since hunting during that time would come to naught, the three of them tried to find random jobs in the city. Helping to keep the streets free from snow for some houses, wash the clothes in freezing water, when the people didn't want to do it themselves in this icy coldness or anything else they could find.

  
Of course they weren't the only ones begging for jobs in exchange for some food. Felix knew a handful of people that were like them, living from hand to mouth, trying to survive day by day. Hoping that one day they can live in a warm house, enjoying the winter next to a warm fire place, knowing that they had enough provisions in their pantry.

  
Not long ago Felix wouldn't have believed that a miracle like this could happen. He believed that years on the street taught him the harsh reality. But then one of the kids that were living on the street got adopted by a noble. He believed it was Lord Lonato who took in a street kid who broke into his house one night. That truly was a miracle in Felix' eyes. If he got caught breaking into a nobles house, no doubt that they would drag him in front of the royalty and demand them to put him on the pillory on the marketplace.

  
So Felix bid his days, trying to find some measly jobs with the two other women that lived with him.

They were a weird trio. Or rather, he was the odd one out, like a sore thumb that just didn't fit to these girls. These two were nearly always sunshine and smiles, spraying positivity everywhere even on an empty stomach. Felix would never admit it – he'd rather die in a pitch – but he came to find comfort in their ways.

Annette's silly but endearing songs could light up his mood after a failed hunt while Mercedes' reassuring smile and motherly words could make him forget the coldness in their hut. He remembered fondly how they had met a few years ago.  
Annette and Mercedes have been together for... god knows how long. They were poor, but happy to have each other.

  
One night – snow had fallen again – they had found Felix lying at the side of the street.  
He had gotten into a fight with someone that refused to pay him for delivering a package, saying that he took too long. Felix knew that he was a decent fighter, he was light on his feet and sometimes when he had nothing better to do he would watch the royal soldiers on the training ground and memorize their movements. So he did know the one or other thing about fighting. But that day he was worn down from walking in the snow, delivering a heavy package for that guy and he wasn't quick enough to avoid the punch to his stomach and the ones that followed.

  
Being some kind of saints, even in their own pitiful situation, Annette and Mercedes carried Felix to their hut in the forest, lit a fire and checked him for any wounds.  
It had taken Felix some days till he recovered enough to walk around again, although he was still in pain. Not wanting to be indebted to some strangers or wanting to rely on them any longer he asked what they wanted in return. Of course they didn't want anything from him and refused to take the little money he had on him which just irritated Felix even more.

  
Finally they came to an agreement that Felix could help them forage the forest in hope to find anything edible or some herbs they could sell to the pharmacist in the city.  
But as that winter was particularly gruesome, he came back from his trip even more frozen with only some single berries that had somehow survived the cold till now to show. Annette was ecstatic to see some sweet berries and said that this was enough to repay them but for Felix that wasn't enough.

Though not wanting to bother the woman any longer he thanked them again begrudgingly and went his way.

Although as soon as the weather got warmer and animals started to rummage the forest again, Felix went out and was lucky enough to catch a deer in a makeshift trap he set. He sold the majority of the meat to some nobles and used the money to buy some other food that wouldn't go bad too fast and brought it to the hut in the forest. He had contemplated to just put the things in front of their door and leave but he was worried that wild animals would come by and eat the things before the residents of the hut would notice it so he had knocked the door and got greeted by a smiling Mercedes.

  
It had been exhausting to convince her to take the food and even after she took it she insisted on him staying and cooking a meal for him. And that was the first time Felix had seen someone burn the food by just boiling it.  
Mercedes apologized a lot for the burned food while him and Annette ate the food anyways. Can't be picky about food when you barely have enough.

When Felix wanted to leave again, Annette had asked him to stay for a while. She told him that a stranger had been going around the hut since a few days and she was worried that he was planning to break in to harm or even abduct them. „We can't offer you any money for your protection but having a place to sleep and being able to share food should be a fair payment right?“ the girl with orange hair had said and Felix was unable to decline the request.

In the end he wasn't even sure if there really had been a man going around the hut because in the following days and weeks he had never seen that said stranger. He suspected Annette came up with a lie to make him stay because both of them pitied him for roaming the streets alone but he had gotten used to their arrangement and didn't want to complain after all the time had passed. Annette and Mercedes also never talked about him having to leave so they must have come to a silent agreement that they will work as a trio from now on.

  
Since then three winters had come and gone. Today had been a snowy day again.  
Felix had gotten lucky and caught a rabbit that was nosing the snow, looking for grass that was buried beneath it. When he made his way back to the hut, the snow had stopped falling and the sun had come out and made the ground beneath him reflect the sun rays. The weather had gotten a bit warmer in the last few days and he spotted some birds in the sky, announcing the end of the long winter. Soon they could cast some seeds again and Felix would have more luck hunting in the forest.

But as of now, he still heard the crunching of the snow beneath his feet when he walked and every breath he exhaled left a small white puff in the air.

He was sure Annette would complain about the cold again, demanding Mercedes and Felix to sleep next to her so she wouldn't feel too cold. In the beginning Felix had refused to lie anywhere near the other two. He just didn't feel comfortable to sleep that close to other people but one morning he woke up and Annette and Mercedes were coddled up at his sides. They explained themselves by saying that he was shivering in his sleep and they didn't want him to catch a cold as they couldn't afford any medicine at the moment.

So he surrendered to his fate and didn't say anything anymore when his two companions laid out their thin blankets next to his in the following nights.

When he arrived at the hut, he saw no signs of Mercedes and Annette. Both of them probably went into the city, trying their luck to find a small job. Lately both of them had gotten lucky. The local pharmacist had allowed them to help him grind some herbs as this winter had brought many ill people and he needed every hand he could get to prepare enough medicine for everyone. The money they got had been enough to get them through the coldest nights by buying a thicker blanket for the three of them to share.

  
Felix decided to gut out the rabbit and went to the river side to wash it out.  
He took out a dagger which he had gotten from his parents when he was still young and went to work. The dagger was the last thing he had left from his old life and it was already worn down a lot but he used stones he found at the river side to sharpen the blade and kept it usable over the years.

  
When he was done with the rabbit, he packed it in some cloths and put it on the snow to keep it cool while he cleaned his hands and dagger in the cool water of the river.  
Felix focused on cleaning the blade, making sure to not leave any dirty spots on it so he nearly missed the red strings that flowed in the water.

He examined it and quickly came to the conclusion that these red strings were in deed blood that must have been carried here from somewhere upstream. He quickly put the dagger into his makeshift belt and walked up the river, tracking down any signs of blood. Best case, it was a wounded animal he could sell, worst case he would find a human. Alive or dead, he wasn't sure yet. Based on the amount of red that was being carried down by the stream, the thing had lost a good amount of blood. Probably not deadly but enough to weaken it.

  
He hurried along the river, trying not to slip on the snow and then he finally spotted the source of the blood. There was a boy draped over a tree trunk that had fallen over the river. He didn't look conscious as his upper body was hanging over the trunk and his head was hanging headfirst just a few centimeters over the water. The tips of his blonde hair were touching the surface.

  
Felix had two options. Just go away and hope someone else will find this person in time or carry that guy back to the hut and see if he can help him. If he decides to carry him back and the man dies under his hand, people might think he had murdered the man. If the man survived, he might give him a good reward. Judging by the thick coat the man was wearing, he was well off.  
He looked around, making sure no one else was nearby. A part of him just wanted to leave and not bother with this. He had enough problems on his own and he wasn't some kind of hero or saint like Mercedes or Annette.

Thinking about these two... they would probably give him an earful if they found out that he had found a wounded person and left him floating in a river. He could already imagine their eyes looking all disapproving which made him let out a groan. He slipped out of his shoes and let himself slip into the river. Holding on to the trunk so he wouldn't fall and inched closer to the man who was still not moving one bit. 'Why am I even doing this to myself?' Felix grumbled while trying to ignore the coldness that creeped up on him through his wet clothes.

  
When he arrived in the middle of the river he pulled down the man and draped one of his arms over his own shoulders and made his way back to the riverside. Noticing how heavy the other was he wondered what the best way would be to bring him back to the hut. Once at the riverbank he heaved himself out of the water and then dragged the other one out. Giving himself a moment to rest he looked the other boy over. He could see that the other male had a sharp face and lips that looked too pale. Probably because he was hanging in the river for a while now.

There were a few minor cuts on his face, maybe from the branches of the tree, another wound on his right arm and one on the side of his stomach.  
He had to get the man back to the hut and start a fire quickly to warm him up.

After putting on his shoes he mustered his strength and lifted the man over his shoulders and made his way back. If he was lucky, Mercedes and Annette were already back and could help the man. He didn't know a lot about wounds and how to take care of them and usually just let Mercedes do her thing when he had an accident while hunting.

  
The way back felt like it took a small eternity. Cold wind felt even harsher now that his clothes were wet and the man felt heavier and heavier by the second. He tried to focus on breathing and putting one leg in front of another.

  
Finally he saw the hut and when he opened the door he was once again greeted by no human presence. Of course his luck would forsaken him on a day like this. He tried to put down the man next to the fireplace as gently as possible and looked for some wood. They had to gather it last autumn because in the winter the wood would get covered by snow and become wet and unhandy to cindle a fire. Sadly they didn't have that much left after the long winter even though they tried to use it sparingly. Felix probably had to man up and gather some wood outside anyways and chip down the wet outer layers of the wood to get some more material for fire.

After making sure the man was still breathing, he started the fire and removed the wet clothes from the man. He took care not to irritate his wounds any more and then took their thick blanket and wrapped it around the man. He looked at the clothes of the man and even in this debauched state they were screaming high class in his face. Suddenly irritation flooded him. Why was he helping this man who probably never in his life helped anyone who was beneath his standards?

He balled the clothes together, threw them in a corner and sat down next to the man. Contemplating his next steps. He could still throw the man into the river again but honestly, that would have been stupid after he went through all the hassle to carry him back. Beside that he wasn't sure if his muscles could even lift him again as they were still aching with pain. Just letting him die in the hut wasn't going to work either as Mercedes and Annette would surely want to save him when they come back.

He lifted a blanket a bit and looked at the wounds on his stomach. At least it wasn't bleeding anymore. Blood stains on their new blanket would have been unpleasing.  
He realized that his medical knowledge really wasn't of any help so he just threw another wood piece into the fire and changed his own clothes for now. The man was a lot taller than him so he couldn't find clothes that would fit the stranger. Not like he had a lot of options for clothes. One pair was wet and the other one he had was on his body now. His jacket was also still dripping water.

  
He seated himself next to the fire and wrapped his arms around his legs, trying to will the coldness out of his bones. It probably would had been more effective to lie down under the blanket too but Felix wasn't going to lie down next to a stranger he had just fished out of the river. Annette and Mercedes were as far as his comfort zone went.  
Just then the eyes of the other flew open and two blue eyes pierced him with his stare. Felix wanted to wait a second and not do anything rash that would scare the other but even then the man jerked up and looked around wildly. 'Where am I? Who are you?' he asked. His voice was highly alarmed as he took in his surroundings.

  
Felix suppressed the urge to roll his eyes. 'I found you in the river and brought you here. Who I am doesn't matter. But I think I deserve an explanation why you were bleeding in a river and who you are.'.

The other man eyed him from head to toe. He was obviously trying to figure out if he should bolt for the door and make a run for it.

'Don't even think about running right now. You have a wound on your stomach and if you move to much it will rip open again. Beside that, you're pretty much naked.' Felix pointed out and watched as the man looked under the blanket, realizing he was only wearing his undergarments. His eyes darted to the corner where his clothes lied on the ground and his face quickly turned red. Then he cleared his throat and wrapped the blankets around himself.

'I'm... sorry if my words were harsh just now. I was just... confused. I was sparing with someone and fell down the cliff. I must have been lucky that I fell in a river and were found by you.'

'What kind of idiot spars in the middle of a Faerghus winter? Do you rich people have nothing better to do now?' as soon as the words left his mouth he bit his tongue slightly.

Maybe it wasn't the smartest idea to offend someone of a higher standing. If he was unlucky, he could still drag him to court and just say that he was the one who had wounded him. The court would surly believe someone who could fill their pockets with money.

  
But he only got a chuckle out of the man. 'Haha, yeah that wasn't one of our best ideas... Well I owe you my thanks for helping me, Sir.' he implied a bow by nodding his head.

Felix just grunted as an answer and stood up. 'How are you feeling? I only checked you once. Do you feel pain anywhere else beside your stomach and arm? Not like I can actually help you... I could get a doctor but you would have to pay him yourself.' Felix scratched the back of his head, feeling pretty useless.

  
'No... I do feel a bit cold though.' the stranger looked around again as if he was looking for something warmer than the blanket. 'Sorry but you probably can only scoot closer to the fire. I don't have any clothes I could give you.' Felix explained. Somehow the noble looked incredibly misplaced now. An awkward silence hung around them for a while before it was Felix' turn to clear his throat. 'I'll prepare some food for you. It should help you to heal faster... I think.' Felix said, grabbing his still damp jacket and left the hut.

  
Once he was outside he spotted Annette and Mercedes who were walking down the path to their home. The shorter girl was carrying some carrots and bread and started to wave with her free arm when she saw him at the door.  
When they arrived Felix told them what had happened and told them to check the man inside again but also be careful. You never know with these rich people even though the stranger seemed pretty harmless.

  
He quickly grabbed the rabbit he had left in the snow -grateful that no bear had come and took it – and went back inside. He saw that Mercedes and Annette had introduced themselves and asked the stranger to show them his wounds.  
Mercedes checked him over and took out some herbs she stored in one of the few boxes she had and started to cook some water over the fire. After Annette had hurt herself once while trying to set a trap Mercedes had made sure that they had some herbs at home to treat smaller wounds.

  
Soon the water started bubbling and she added the herbs and waited a few minutes before handing a cup to the stranger.  
'Drink this and I think you'll be fine in a few days. You can stay here while you are hurt, if you don't mind.' her face showing the smile she always wore.  
The stranger eyed the cup and then Mercedes. Probably wondering if it was poison but then he took it and emptied it in one go.

Annette gawked at him. 'Wasn't it... hot?' she asked worried.  
The man took a deep breath. 'It was. I... I'm just used to having my food served in an edible temperature. It slipped my mind to let it cool first.' Annette and Felix exchanged a glance while Mercedes took back the cup. 'Maybe you should rest some more.' she only said and gestured him to lay down. 'We will prepare some food in the meantime.'

  
Afterwards Felix helped Annette to cook the rabbit and boil the carrots. The pharmacist had been kind enough to give them some spices so they could even put in some for their guest who seemed... to have high standards for food.

The dinner was uneventful although the stranger didn't really seem like he was full. Sharing a rabbit between four people meant that everyone got a smaller portion even though Mercedes made sure that the injured person got more than them.  
They went to bed after dinner but put another wood piece into the fireplace to make sure that it wouldn't go out so soon. Mercedes hung the clothes of the stranger around the fire so they would dry over night and then the three of them cuddled together, wrapping themselves in the thinner blankets. Their thick one was still wrapped around the stranger after all.

  
While dozing off Felix noticed that the other male was still staring at them, confusion written over his face. And he noticed that the man hadn't even told them his name yet but then he already fell in a dreamless sleep, his body too exhausted from the day.

The next morning greeted them with warm rays of sunshine coming through the window.

Annette stretched next to him and then huddled a bit closer to Mercedes. Felix quietly removed the blanket and got up, stretching his limbs to regain some feelings in his legs and arms. His gaze wandered to the stranger who was still laying there but his eyes were open and alert, watching him.  
Suddenly feeling awkward being watched like that after he just woke up he stopped stretching and walked over to the other. 'Feeling any better?'

  
'Yes, in fact I feel really well.' as if he needed to demonstrate it, sat up and twisted his torso a bit and circled his arms. Felix eyed the other. He might not understand a lot about medicine but he was sure wounds like that weren't supposed to heal that fast. Either the injury wasn't that deep after all or the guy was a beast in reality. Or Mercedes was a wonder pharmacist.

'Great. Then you can leave.'

'After some breakfast of course.' The blankets behind him shifted again and Mercedes stood up.

She must have been awake and listened in on them. Annette grumbled a bit but then got up as well.

They took out the bread they had gotten in the city yesterday, which was already stale and hard but it's probably all they could afford, and divided it in four.  
Once again the stranger looked at the bread with an alienated stare and then started to eat it slowly.

  
'I'm sorry. It might seem pompously but do you always live and eat like this?' he suddenly asked. His face was contorted in some kind of sadness and disgust. Felix snorted. The irritation he felt yesterday suddenly bubbled up again.

'What do you think? That we set up this hut while you were unconscious to seem particularly poor so you would feel pity for us and give us a greater reward after you're all good to go?' Felix spat at him.

The stranger seemed perplexed. 'I'm sorry that's not what I wanted to convey. I- I truly didn't know that things were this bad...' he seemed troubled and guilty. Annette hushed Felix before he could retort anything and offered some water to the stranger.  
'Please don't mind him. He's always this cranky after he woke up. But I'm glad you're feeling better today! You really have the health of a bull!' she beamed and dissipated the tense atmosphere with it.

  
After the breakfast the stranger put on his dried clothes and tried to offer his coat as a reward to Mercedes so they could sell it but the woman only declined and said that it's only natural to help people in need. Beside that he might get cold on his way back to his home if he left his coat with them. A knock on the door interrupted them and Annette opened it carefully.

  
'Excuse us, for interrupting you this early in the morning. I'm Dedue, the retainer of Prince Dimitri. We are currently looking for his majesty after he went missing yesterday. Did you happen to have seen him? If you don't know, he has blond hair and wears a black and white coat.'

  
Annette stared at the man – Dedue – and then let her gaze wander over her shoulder to look at the stranger in their hut. She looked at his hair and then she looked at the black and white coat draped over his shoulders. 'P... P... PRINCE?!'


	2. Gentle Silver

After the Prince left, hell broke loose in the hut.  
'The prince?!' Annette started pacing in the small room, hands on her face looking completely flustered. 'Mercie, Felix, I compared our prince to a bull?? Does that already count as slander of the royal family? Do you think they will come back tomorrow and hang me in front of the city as an example??' She suddenly stopped and draped herself over Mercedes shoulders.

'Oh Annie, I think you don't need to worry that much. Prince Dimitri seemed like a good person to me.' she reassured her friend. Annette let go of her friend and went over to Felix instead and started punching him with no real strength -thank god because the girl could really pack a punch even though she looked so small.

'Felix, why did you have to be so rude to him? If you had kept your mouth shut I wouldn't have tried to ease the situation and wouldn't have babbled such nonsense! If they come to get me, I'll drag you with me.' she whined and then hugged Felix too while sobbing some more.  
For Felix this whole situation seemed too much. His brain was still stuck at the fact that he had dragged the prince of the country out of a river yesterday. What were the chances? He could have saved anybody. A merchant, some nobles kid, his old neighbor, a murderer but no- he found the prince.  
Awkwardly he raised an arm and patted Annette’s back. 'Let go. You're heavy.

Some days passed by and Mercedes had bought some more tools with the money, Dedue had left as a reward for finding the prince. (To be honest, Felix felt like it was insufficient. Afterall they didn't only find the prince but saved that idiot's life. If Felix hadn't found him in time maybe a wild hungry bear worn down by the winter would have found him.)

One of the tools was an axe which came in handy as they really needed to chop some wood after the unplanned guest. Annette had volunteered to do it and while Felix was worried in the beginning, it turned out fine as the girl was doing a fine job in chopping down the wood he brought.

Days were about to turn back to normal and they barely talked about the event that had occured in their hut. Until one day Felix was alone in their home when he heard a knock on it. He considered ignoring it. Not like they got any guests who would come over for tea or something like that but the knocking wouldn't stop so he walked over to the door and opened it. Putting up an unpleased face.

  
Somehow he wasn't surprised to see the prince standing in front of him. He was wearing a blue cloak with the hoodie covering a good portion of his face. Underneath the cloak Felix could make out some clean white trousers and sturdy boots.  
Probably he should have felt more respect toward him but the presence of the other just filled him with annoyance.  
'Did his highness forget anything here the other day?' he asked surpressing the urge to make his voice sound sarcastic. Of course he knew that the prince hadn't forgotten anything. The hut wasn't exactly big and the three of them don't own that much. So an extra object would have sprung to their attention immediately.

'Good morning, Sir.' the prince bowed to him and when he came up, a smile was gracing his face. 'No, I didn't forget anything.' 'Good then please excuse me. I'm a busy man and can't waste any time of the day.' Felix was about to close the door into the face of the prince but the other male reached out his hand and held the door open. 'Please, don't close the door yet. I just wanted to talk with you-' He pressed the door a bit harder while Felix put all his weight on the door but still felt himself budge and the door opening a bit. Just what kind of food did he get in the castle to make him this absurdly strong?  
Not wanting to break the door he finally stepped back from the door and let it swing open completely.

He let out a deep sigh and crossed his arms before looking at the prince. 'What does his highness want to talk about?' he forced out.  
The prince eyed him carefully. Placing a foot next to the doorframe in case the other would try to slam the door again.

'First, I wanted to appologize for what had happened earlier this week. I'm very grateful for your help and I understand that I imposed as a burden on you. Second.... I'm afraid that I have to ask you to let me be a burden for you again.' At these words Felix raised an eyebrow. Eyeing the other sceptically and reaching his hand over to the door again.

  
'Wait stop, please don't close the door. Hear me out. I thought a lot in the past few days and I realized that there are many things I don't know about the people who live in the country which I will reign one day. I thought I knew the city like the back of my hand but after seeing the way you and the others lived made me think. Are there more people like you? Does my father know about this? Or the other nobles? Surely they must have known about it? Why did no one do anything about it? So... I want to ask you to show me the city. I mean- show me the city how you know it. Please show me your... perspective. I need your insight.' the words seemed to fly out of the mouth of the prince. His voice growing in passion and heat.

Felix brushed them off as empty words. He knew better than to trust the words of a princling. 'Why don't you ask your retainer to go around the city with you? I'm sure he'd be thrilled.' he said, venom clearly lying on his tongue. 'Yes, Dedue would help me of course... but I was hoping to get closer to the situation with you. I feel like people will recognize me if I take Dedue with me and I don't want them to put up any faces when they see me as the prince.' Felix mustered the man in front of him, trying to figure out what he was up to. The face of the prince showed genuine concern and Felix couldn't find any kind of insincerity in it or his voice. Which made Felix just all the more sceptical. Let's say the prince really wanted to change something. He was way too green behind his ears judging by the way he behaved. Other nobles will take advantage of him and twist him however they need him to reign the country. Naivety was oozing of his words and features. Or he was a very good actor. Afterall Felix could also spot the alertness in his gaze behind all his simplehearted features.

'Of course I will also reward you with something. I can get you anything you want in the city.' the prince promised as if he saw Felix’ judging gaze and decided that bribery was the best way to go.

'Do you think you can buy me?' Felix' voice was dangerously sharp and his eyes glaring at the person in front of him. The prince quickly raised his hands to the high of his chest and started waving them.

'No. No, please don't get me wrong. I'm not trying to bribe you here. I'm just offering a befitting reward if you decide to help me. Please lend me your hand!' and once again the prince bowed. Something told Felix that as a citizen he shouldn't allow the prince to even bow to him and another part wanted to snarl at the prince that he shouldn't just lower his head this easily. He was a prince and god be damned but he will lead the country one day. What good could he bring if he was this yielding?  
He let out a heavy sigh.

'Fine. Come back tomorrow morning.' he reached for the door to close it again. 'And wear something shabby or you'll just blow your cover.' Before hearing an answer he shooed the prince away and finally let the door fall into its frame.

The next day came way too quickly and Felix barely got some sleep during the night. His mind had made up many scenarious of the day while he was laying awake listening to the breathing of Mercedes and Annette. He had told them that he would go to the city with the prince today and Annette was worried whether Felix would be able to guide the prince around. 'He's royalty after all... maybe us simple people don't know his face but the royal family has many rivals, too, right? What if someone recognizes him and attacks him?'.

These words kept Felix awake for the majority of the night as Annette was right. Recalling the events from this week, his luck had been lousy and the chances of any mishappenings are high. And Felix wasn't ready to offer his head in case anything would occur. Neither was he ready to take the blame if anything would happen to the prince. But he was also sure that the prince wouldn't let him live in peace if he just turned him away in the morning.

So Felix spent the night pondering his choices and squinted at the sun confused when the light started to filter through the window.  
And while Mercedes forced him to eat some bread there was already a knock at the door. Signaling the arrival of the person who had kept Felix awake.

Annette opened the door and let the prince in. She paid a lot of attention to use formal language and honorfics. The prince quickly raised his hand and told her that she doesn't have to address him this formally when noone was around.

  
Felix eyed him sceptical. He was wearing a brown cape today. Underneath it he could identify a pristine white dressshirt, a pair of black trousers and brown shoes. He calculated roughly in his head how expensive these clothes must have been. Considering how exquisite the stitches were, it must be worth more than anything Felix ever owned.  
If this was his definition of shabby, Felix clothes must have been straight from the rubbish.

  
'Are you planning to go out like this?' he asked shoving the last piece of his breakfast in. The other male looked down at himself confused. 'I made sure to wear the simplest things I had... ?' he retorted while he looked quite troubled. Mercedes looked him up and down and put a finger to her lowerlip. 'Well... I think it should be fine if you keep yourself under the radar. But it is a bit too clean.' She offered as a explanation. The prince showed a sign of understanding and looked out of the window. 'In that case I could put some dirt on it.' he suggested and went back to the door to go out again.

  
Annette looked at Felix and Mercedes asked with her eyes if they could let a prince just waltz outside and smirch his appearance. Felix only shrugged his shoulder. The thought of the prince deliberately putting dirt on himself was actually quite amusing to him. Well it's not like they had suggested it and the prince was doing it on his own volition so who was Felix to stop him?

After the prince had put some earthy spots on his clothes he looked a little bit more like a commoner but Felix was still not satisfied. Grabbing a bit of dust from the ground he indicated the prince to stay still while he smeared his hand over his left cheek and let some of it rill over his hair. He gritted his teeth as he noticed that the other boy was just a tad bit taller than him. His shitty nutrition in the last few years be damned. He was sure he would have grown a bit more if he would have gotten enough food.  
He noticed the prince watching him embarrassingly while he was spreading the dirt over his visage.  
Felix tried to ignore it as best as he could.

  
Annette and Mercedes regarded his work and nodded, giving their approval that the prince was good to go.  
So they left, walking along the path that led them back to civilisation. It would take them around 15 minutes and Felix tried to recall his worries of the night before.

  
'Ok, I just want to make some things clear. I only agreed to show you around. If anything should happen in the city, I will not act as your meat shield or try to protect you.' The prince looked at him surprised but nodded.

'I understand. I promise I can take care of myself.' he lifted his cloak a bit and Felix was able to spot a sword hidden underneath it. Well it was good to know that the prince had some kind of self-preservation instinct.  
'May I ask a question?' The prince interrupted the silence after they had walked a while. 'Could you tell me your name? It's the third time that we have met but I realized yesterday that I failed to ask you for your name after you denied to tell me the first time I asked.'  
Felix actually forgot that he never told the prince his name and figured out that it wouldn't really hurt him or anyone if he revealed it now. 'Felix.'  
'Felix.' The prince repeated as if he had to try out the name himself. 'Do you have a family name?'

'No. Or I can't remember it anymore.' The prince looked at him for a long time. 'You can call me Dima in the city.' he suggested and breaking the silence again. Felix wasn't about to call the prince anything in the city but he nodded anyways. Not using a verbal answer to signal the prince that he wasn't really in for a chit chat with him.

Once they were in the city, Felix led him to the marketplace which was starting to fill with people of every social rank. The most flashiest were the merchants who had traveled far to sell the finest robes, herbs or weapons while the rich flocked around them, gesturing their servants to secure their goods. The prince gave Felix a questioning look, as if he wasn't sure why he was brought here of all places. Maybe he thought Felix would lead him into some shady looking alleys but no. Felix was going to show him the reality in which the poor just got overshadowed by the wealthy.

  
He nodded in the direction of an old man who was carrying a heavy basket filled with turnips that looked like they had already seen the best of their days. The man himself was thin, barely more than a shadow. His bones extruding from his back while the skin was pulled tight over them. The prince imagined a man his age would usually stay at home, in front of a fireplace while telling his grandchildren stories of his past. Suddenly a well dressed man appeared and yelled at him to walk faster. Gesturing him to load the turnips into his cart.

  
The prince looked around the marketplace and could now spot more people like the man. People in all ages, shapes and gender. There were children carrying heavy water jars from the well in the middle of the place while another woman who was missing an arm was struggling to unload a cart for a merchant.

  
It baffled the prince that he had never really paid attention to these people and he wondered why that was the case but he realized quickly in shame that his eyes were automatically drawn to the colourful and magnificent goods that laid all across the place. 'Is it always like this?' It was a stupid question but he truly was hoping that the reality, he had been living in wasn't as twisted. Felix only nodded and the prince felt like he had swallowed a stone that was lying heavy in his stomache now.

'Out of my way, peasant.' a rough voice sounded behind them and shortly after the prince was shoved aside harshly. Felix quickly grabbed the other’s arm and glared at the back of the man that walked pass them. Before he could go after that man to call him out, the prince quickly grabbed the arm that was still holding him. 'Don't go after him. You said you wouldn't protect me right?' he murmured and Felix threw his head around directing his glare at the prince.

'Who said I was going after him for you? I just wanted to kick that asshole to teach him a lesson for the future.'

He pulled back his arm but didn't make any movements to follow the man. He breathed in and exhaled a few times to calm down his temper.  
Then he decided that they had lingered long enough and guided him to areas of the city that clearly had seen better days.  
The prince took in all the different people. He hadn't expected to see that many people live in poverty.

  
Soon dusk started to cover the city and the first sign of the moon were at the sky. The prince and Felix were still wandering the winding streets of the city, taking short breaks so the prince could take in the scenes that played in front of him.  
Earlier the prince had observed a woman leaving a worn down house with a thin coat tightly wrapped around herself. Asking Felix why the woman left her house that late at night Felix only shrugged her shoulders. 'Probably going to warm the bed of a rich aristocrat.' He earned a scandalized look for his declaration. 'But prostitution is forbidden in Faerghus!' the prince contered.

  
'And you think anyone cares? Guards and wealthy people are the first ones to break the law if it doesn't suit them. Selling themselves is sometimes the only way for people to survive.' Felix corrected the other. He had to suppress his urge to call the prince a hypocrite. It was widely known that the king had a whole harem for himself. How was that different to prostitution.

The prince looked visibly shaken up after the day but after a while he seemed to finally get a grip on himself again.  
'I promised you to give you a reward. I'm afraid the market is already closed... should we meet on another day so I can get you something for your trouble?' The thought of meeting the prince again in the future made Felix uncomfortable in many ways. He was glad the day was finally over without any big incidents and didn't want to go through a sleepless night again.

He looked around and found a store that was still lit. He went over and saw that they sold swords, lances and other goods of that sort and without giving it much more thought he entered with the prince. He browsed through the different swords and then decided on one that was lying comfortably on his hand while not being to heavy. The blade shined in a gentle silver way, reflecting Felix’ face.

The prince saw how taken the other was by the sword. He hadn't seen an expression of soft fondness on that face before. He asked how expensive the sword was and then took out his leather purse and paid for the sword.  
The shop owner looked at them sceptical, eyeing Felix and the prince’s clothes wondering how they had gotten the money to afford one of his finest swords.

  
'You have good eyes, boy. You won't find a sword like that anywhere else. It'll cut through nearly everything with ease. Doesn't even need a lot of strength to do that.' he commented after he had the money. He handed over a sheath and then wished them a good evening.

  
'So you're interested in swords?' The prince asked Felix once they were outside and Felix nodded reluctantly. Watching the royal guards was fascinating and sometimes he would immitate their movements back at the hut with a branch or something like that while Annette and Mercedes commented on his form. But he never thought he would one day own a sword of his own. Some part of him wanted to thank the prince for it but on the other side, he did do the prince two favours already so they were even in his opinion.

  
'We should part now.' Felix said watching the stars that freckled the clear night sky. Tomorrow would be another day with sunshine.  
The prince looked like he wanted to say something but then refrained and only nodded. He bowed a bit and with a smile he said: 'Get home well. Thank you for today... and also the other day. I can't even begin to explain how informative today was. I hope we can meet again one day.'

  
Felix watched him as the dim light from the houses illuminated the few strands of the prince hair that was falling out of the hood he was wearing and his smile. Once again he was glad that this was over with. He hold up his hand, implying waving good bye. The prince turned around and started to walk toward the center of the city while Felix watched him for a while longer. The part that earlier wanted to thank the prince also started to wonder if he will ever meet the prince again.

He was about to turn around and quickly leave the city before the guards would close the gates when he spotted a shadow diving down from a rooftop toward the other male.  
Driven by instinct he pushed himself toward the direction of the prince. 'Dima!' he called out to warn him. Years on the street and forest had made Felix quite agile and he arrived in time to parry the sword of the attacker with his own still sheathed sword.

The prince also whipped around and saw a man completely wrapped in black robes jumping backward after his sword didn't hit his target. Analyzing the situation and realizing that he had lost the advantage the man used his sword to swirl up some dirt from the ground into the faces of the two and ran into the next alley. Felix wanted to pursue him after he whipped away the dirt but the prince stopped him -the second time this day.

  
'Don't. He's already gone.' The prince said. Felix huffed. Cursing himself for falling for the cheap trick of the man in black. He looked over to the prince to make sure he was unscattered but got taken aback by the stare of the other. There they were again. The attentive eyes piercing him as if they were looking for something.

'Come with me.' the prince suddenly said and grabbed his arm and pulled him along. The sheer power of the prince made Felix nearly topple over. 'Wait a moment!' Felix protested and wanted to put his heels down but once again the brute strength of the other was overwhelming and he got pulled along like a heavy package that the prince was carrying.

  
They rounded the streets and soon Felix lost orientation. Judging by the buildings around them they had entered the wealthier parts of the city. But then once again the prince dragged him into a smaller path between two buildings to the back of a big structure.  
They stopped abruptly and Felix didn't even have enough time to take in their surroundings before the prince had opened a door at the back of the building and pulled themselves inside.  
After Felix was sure that he wouldn't be dragged again he lifted his head and tried to find out where the hell he was.

  
He saw weapons lined at the side and a big spacious ground in the middle. It was clearly a training ground. The next question was why the prince had dragged him here.  
The other opened his cloak and let it drop to the ground. Then he took out his sword and walked toward the middle of the field.

  
'Felix, let's have a sword fight.' he only said and turned around facing Felix, his sword held in front of him. Not sure if the prince was just awfully with jokes or if he was serious he hesitantly reached for the sword unsheathing it. He slowly hold it up, leaving enough time in case the prince was really joking and would drop his sword while laughing but the expression on the other’s face stayed serious. Catching every movement Felix did.  
He could just walk out. Leave this building and hope the prince will never bother him again.

  
But something about turning down a challenge was against his nature so he used the ground to push himself forward, attacking the prince without a warning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Haha, uh, I might have forgotten to update the story.  
> And a short warning for the next chapter: Gilbert and Rodrigue will appear (and the latter will also play a kinda more important role) but they aren't Felix' or Annette's fathers. I hope it doesn't get too confusing but I didn't want to create any random OCs to fill the roles.


	3. Worth the struggle

'Good morning Margrave Gautier, I hope I'm not disturbing you but I have an inquiry.' Dimitri showed up at the training ground at the crack of dawn, before the training could start. Margrave Gautier was in charge of training the royal guards and was a stern man. He was also the father of his best friend Sylvain Gautier.

'Good morning, Prince Dimitri. I hope you had a pleasant night. How may I offer you my service?' the man greeted and bowed his head toward the prince.

'Lately I noticed that all the royal guards are people from higher standing families. I was wondering why that is?' Dimitri asked, earning a questioning look from the older.

'It's because people from higher standings are more capable than others. They train from an early age and we can only allow the best of the best to protect our king and his family.' Dimitri furrowed his brows, quite unconvinced of the answer.  
'But what if someone, let us assume, from the streets proved to be a prodigy in fighting? Wouldn't it be a waste of talent to not let him train under you?' The prince countered.

Margrave Gautier looked like he held himself back from directing any inpropriate gestures at Prince Dimitri, probably a dismissive one.

'That's only an assumption from you and I can assure that no one from the streets could ever rise to such standards.' the margrave nodded to himself. 'Beside that, we have to make sure we don't train any inappropriate people who might plan to harm you in the future. A proper background check is indispensable and with people from the streets we would need to spend an unnecessary amount of money to do so. It's an impossible task if these people grew up on the streets. Prince Dimitri you must not bother yourself with the selection of the royal guard. You have many other duties and I'll make sure to only choose the best to guarantee your safety. Rest assured.' with these words, the Margrave turned away, making it clear to Dimitri that the conversation was over.

Dimitri pursed his lip but bit back another comment. He understood that he was still the prince and people wouldn't take him seriously until he became the king. With a heavy heart he thought back of the previous evening.

Felix had struck him like a viper. His steps were light as if he guided all his strength toward his sword. His technique was definitely rough and it was clear that he didn't get a lot of instruction but Dimitri was fascinated by the other. To his understanding Felix grew up on the streets so why was he holding this sword like it was a second nature to him? It simply baffled him.

He let the fight drag out a bit, trying to learn more about Felix and his movements but after a while he noticed that the other was growing tired so Dimitri ended the fight by putting enough force into his next blow to send the sword of Felix flying. 

Both of them had been breathing heavily and before one of them could find any words Dimitri suddenly heard steps coming from the hallway. Acting quickly, he picked up Felix' sword and pushed him toward the back exit. As soon as the other was outside, Gustave, a knight protecting his family, had entered the grounds and looked at him in surprise, mustering his dirty appearance. But he knew better than to ask. The other had heard noises and wondered who had entered the training ground at this late hour. He also informed the prince that his maids had been looking for him all day and accompanied him back to the castle.

'Mornin' your highness!' Sylvain suddenly appeared next to him while he hold up a big goofy smile. A bandage was covering his left cheek. His father had made sure to give him a rigorous lecture after he came back last week without the prince in tow. It was only after Dimitri came back and gave his account that Margrave Gautier and his family calmed down. If Dimitri had been missing for a few more hours they probably would have banned Sylvain from Fhirdiad or even the country itself for endangering and loosing the crown prince. 

Truth to be told, he and Sylvain couldn't keep their excitement that day when they saw the rays of sun and got their horses to ride out. They were taking a break at a hill and Dimitri suddenly had the idea to test out Sylvain's improvement. One thing lead to another and Dimitri quickly found himself loosing footing and stumbling down a cliff. So it's really not like it was Sylvain's fault in any way. (Well, he could have stopped Dimitri from challenging him on a snowy, slippy hill).

Sylvain was currently training under his father to become part of the royal guard one day but their relationship has been... frosty. After his big brother was caught associating with the wrong crowd his father had disinherited him and put more and more pressure on Sylvain.

Dimitri greeted his friend and returned his smile, although more subtle and graceful.  
'Why did you look into the distance so dreamily just now? Did you meet a pretty girl yesterday night? I heard everyone was looking for you again.' Sylvain teased and Dimitri chocked on thin air. Quickly regaining his composure he looked at Sylvain angrily. 'Don't confuse myself with you Sylvain...'

After his failed conversation with Sylvain's father, Dimitri considered his next steps carefully. Felix' sword skills wouldn't leave his head and kept him awake for a good portion of the night, giving him a headache the next morning.

Margrave Gautier's sentiment of how only children of high status were fit to become guards bothered him as well. He never thought much about who got the opportunity to join. But with seeing Felix' natural talent which was still incomprehensible to the prince, it was clear that the current ways barred a lot of worthy young people in the country to become guards. Though, he first had to try to get one young man to join before he could hope to change long standing traditions.

Somehow imagining the other close to him made him feel at ease. But he wasn't dumb. He knew that Felix probably wouldn't leave his hut behind if it meant that he would leave Mercedes and Annette alone. It was hard to read Felix' cold face but he did notice that he seemed more relaxed when he was around the other women and he could imagine that they had a strong bond of some sort.

Convincing Manuela, the head pharmacist of the castle, to take in two more students really shouldn't be that troublesome he mused so. Manuela was far less rigid compared to Margrave Gautier... On the contrary, sometimes she should pull herself more together. Furthermore, she came from a humble background herself so probably could empathize with the two. All that was left was figuring out how to let Felix in on the guard training.

He stood at a window, watching people come and leave the castle grounds when he spotted a familiar face entering the door. Suddenly a plan formed in his head and Dimitri quickly jumped to his feet, planning to go to the new arrival.  
Time to pay Duke Fraldarius a visit and ask him for a favour.

* * *

Felix had made it back to the city gates in the nick of time. After the prince had pushed him out he had to orientate himself first. When he finally found the way and arrived at the gates, the guards were about to close the door. He got a disapproving look from the guard when he slipped through the gates but he shrugged it off.

He was way too tired and didn't know what to make of the day. Though, his body was aching satisfyingly after the spar with the prince. His loss did sting his pride a bit but he argued that the prince was lectured in sword fighting since he could walk.

When he got back to the hut, Annette immediately bombarded him with questions while Mercedes also looked curious but she was also holding some dinner for Felix.  
He had told them what occured over the day and their eyes grew wider and wider when he told them about the attack and the spar with the prince.

'I can't believe you protected the prince!' Annette's eyes were sparkling in admiration. 'I knew you were a good guy after all!' she gave the male a hug. 'If you were from nobility, people would probably praise you as a hero though...'

'The prince must have acknowledged your skills if he challenged you to a duell.' Mercedes mused. 'I wonder what will happen next...' What? Felix ripped his stone hard piece of bread in two.  
'What do you mean with next? There is no next. We parted ways today. I'm not planning on meeting him again any time soon.'

Of course, destiny decided to bite his ass after only two weeks. During the first week Felix always expected a knock on his door again but the more days passed, the more relaxed he got. Everything was starting to go back to normal. The three of them started to plant some vegetables after the sun had warmed up the ground enough and set up some traps to catch some wild animals.

Mercedes also realized that Felix' new sword could also act as a formidable mirror and Annette had started singing about scary caves and vegetables again. So all in all, the three were starting to fall back to their old ways.

But then after two weeks there was a knock at their door again. The sun had already set and the only light was comming from their fireplace.  
Felix insisted on not opening. Mercedes and Annette smiled at him in silence until he opened the door with a groan.

Half expecting to see the prince standing outside, he was surprised when it was indeed someone else. It was an older man, probably in his fourty or fifty, his hair nearly had the same colour as his own. He mustered him warily.

'Good evening. I hope I'm not intruding right now. My name is Rodrigue Achille Fraldarius. The current head of the Fraldarius household. I'm here because of a request of Prince Dimitri. I suppose you are Felix?'  
As soon as Felix heard the words that the man came because of a request by the prince he had to surpress another groan of annoyance and the urge to close the door again.

Annette and Mercedes were standing behind him, watching the man with curious eyes. 'He looks so similar to Felix...' he heard Annette whisper to Mercedes.

'Yes, that's me. What does his highness need?' he ignored the earlier comment from the younger girl and decided to focus on the man in front of him.

'The prince made a... very curious proposition or rather request. He showered your sword skills with the highest praise and told me how noble you were to save him not once, but twice. He wrote you a recommendation letter to join the training to become a royal guard in the future.' A hand emerged from underneath Rodrigues coat, revealing a brown scroll that was hold together by a thin leather string.

Felix heard gasps from behind and he let the words sink in. Him? Becoming a royal guard? He felt absolutely nothing toward nobility much less the royal family. Why would he train his sword skills to protect the family that had never done anything for him with his life? Years of surpressed anger boiled in his blood. He watched people starve on the street. Parents selling one of their children to support their other ones. Slaves getting punished to death by nobility.

And now the prince wants to waltz into his life expecting him to gratefully accept to protect these people who treated them like dirt in return? He thought the prince might be a decent person but apparently he was the biggest clown of them all.

He gripped the door harshly, ready to decline everything and slam the door shut when he felt someone grabbing him from behind.

'I'm sorry, may we have a moment with him?' he heard Annette say before Mercedes closed the door quickly with far more gentleness than Felix could have mustered in that moment.

'Alright, Felix, we know you're about to blow up but please stay calm and listen.' Annette started and clapped her hands together. 'I know you hate nobility and all that stuff surrounding it but please, seriously please, consider this offer. It's a one in a lifetime chance! Training to become a royal guard is something so many people can only dream off!' then she lowered her voice to barely a whisper.

'And even if you don't want to become a royal guard. You could train a year or two, earn some rewards from your missions and then just mess up on one of them so they won't consider you anymore. You still get to keep the rewards you earned and you could start to build up a normal life then!'

'Annie is right - although I don't agree about the second part. You should always try to act earnest...' Mercedes conceded.

Felix gave the others an annoyed look. Sure, Annette was right. It was a good opportunity for him and he had always dreamed of learning more about the art of sword fighting. Although he barely allowed himself to indulge in that dream of his.

But it would also mean becoming a person he despised. Beside that, messing up at a mission could mean forfeiting his life as many of the guards' missions were fights against rivals of the royal family. A mistake on the battlefield meant his or the death of his comrades.

He looked at Annette who was practically beaming at him and then at Mercedes who looked like a proud mother. A sigh left him. Of course these two would be overly optimistic and push him to do something worthwhile with his life. Well, at least he could provide a better life for all of them if he accepted. And that was something that was worth the struggle. Maybe...

He turned around and opened the door again, a part of him was hoping that the man already left because he didn't want to wait for his answer.  
'Alright. Did the prince only send you to give me this recommendation?' Felix asked after making sure the man – Rodrigue – was still there.

'I take you're interested then? Very well. In fact that wasn't the request of the prince. Or it was only a small part of it. You see, becoming a royal guard is usually only reserved for children of a noble household and even though the prince tried to talk with the instructor, it seemed that an exception couldn't be made.' the man elaborated and then took a break as if he was struggling for words. That surprised Felix. He thought that nobles had some kind of hidden talent to blabber on and on. 

Rodrigue took a deep breath. 'That's why the prince requested me to take you in and make you part of the Fraldarius household.'

More gasps and squeels behind Felix while he just raised an eyebrow. 'You would take in a kid from the streets just because the prince asked you to do so?' Would he eat out of the prince's hand?

'Of course I did my research on you first before agreeing. That's why I'm only coming here now. Granted it was hard to track down your past but eventually I found some people who had known you and your parents. You really came from an ordinary family so I have no objections in taking you in. In fact I would be proud to adopt someone who has already saved Prince Dimitri twice.' Rodrigue gave him a smile but it did not quite reach his eyes and the words just made Felix cringe.

'Well, I'm not expecting you to give me an answer right now. I just wanted to come here and tell you about this proposition. I will come back in three days to hear your response. If you decide to accept, be prepared to leave your house by then. You would need to accompany me back to my mansion to prepare you for everything.' the older man gave him a meaningful look before focusing his gaze on Mercedes and Annette. 'And before I forget. The prince also made arrangements for your friends to come to the castle and study under our royal pharmacist Manuela Casagranda.'

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I realized after posting last chapter that my last sentence was kinda misleading haha. I did say that Rodrigue isn't Felix real father but this doesn't mean he can't become his guardian in another way. Well, I hope you enjoyed this chapter.

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first fic here. I hope I'm not going to mess this up.  
> English isn't my first language. If you spot any grave mistakes you can point them out.  
> Btw, I know technically there is no forest around Fhirdiad because the land is mainly barren but I only found out half way into writing and I didn't feel like coming up with a new idea-- so yeah let's pretend Faerghus isn't as dead as in canon.


End file.
